Dudley Dursley And The Golden Eye
by SleepyAngel
Summary: A/U...what if it was dudley and not harry who was orphaned?
1. Prolouge: Anyone Else

Untitled (to be decided when I see where this story is gonna go)  
By: SleepyAngel  
  
Prolouge: Anyone Else  
  
  
Two figures were hunched over a candle, each holding a cup of tea. The Potter's  
spoke in low, low voices, so as not to wake their sleeping child in his room. The woman  
was crying softly, and her husband was speaking soothingly to calm her. None of his  
words seemed to reach her.  
  
"It...should've been anyone, anyone else," she cried, clenching her cup so tightly  
that she felt it would burst. Her husband must have realized this; he took it from her  
hands.  
  
"Lily, no one else could have killed Voldemort. No one had as much power as  
either Voldemort or Albus. If Albus hadn't done what he did...." the man shuddered, one  
of his own tears slipping down his cheek,"Voldemort would still be here, terrorizing and  
killing so many more. You have to understand this, Lily. Albus had to!"   
  
"I know, James! Don't you think I've been over it in my mind so many times? I just  
don't...I don't..." Lily collapsed into James' arms that were held out for her. The candle  
flickered as her heaving breath fell on it. James rubbed her back, trying to calm her to  
sleep. He doubted it would happen.  
  
He doubted they would ever sleep the same again.  
  
Lily finally sat back in her own seat, tears still streaking her face, but her face more  
resolved, like crying had let her emotions run their course and she could reason now. The  
candle on the table was close to flickering out. The witch and wizard stared at the flame as  
it sputtered and died. They could've relit it, but it didn't matter at the moment. Their  
thoughts didn't need light shone on them. They were dark enough that nothing would  
pentrate them.  
  
An urgent hooting came from their closed window. Lily started and James stood  
up quickly to open the window. The owl fluttered in, dropped its letter, and left just as  
quickly as it'd come. All letters were delivered that quickly now. Their was no risking a  
poor owl's life to stand around and wait for some one to kill it.  
  
James unrolled the letter before Lily could get her hands on it. He scanned the  
letter quickly, his face paling. Hurriedly, she snatched it from him as he rushed out of the  
room to get something.   
  
  
Dear Lily and James,  
  
Lily, I wish I didn't have to be the one to say this, but your family has been killed  
by Death Eaters. They must have wanted revenge for the death of Voldemort. Your  
sister's son, amazingly, is alive at the house, but no one else has been able to get to them.   
You might want to keep him, or find an adoption center. Either way, he'll need some one  
to take care of him.   
  
Love,   
Sirius  
  
  
Lily gasped. Petunia? Dead? Even if the sisters weren't close, they were still family.  
She couldn't bare the thought of the Dursley's, her sister's married name, son alone,  
orphaned at only a year old....  
  
"Lily?" James stood in front of her, his handsome face grave, his out-of-control  
black hair standing more on end then usual. She smoothed a lock with trembling fingers  
and said, "I'll get Harry. We have to save Dudley." James nodded and waited with his  
broomstick as Lily ran to get their own baby son.  
  
~@~  
  
Navigating with his old Quidditch skills, James safely landed his family in front of  
number four Privet Drive. He dismounted the broom, looking away from the terrible  
scene. He glanced at Lily, to see she couldn't look away. It was too easy to see which  
place her sister had once lived, as all the others were perfectly okay, nothing wrong with  
them, the worst part of all it seemed. The house, if it could be called that anymore, was  
still smoldering, smoke rising over it slowly, taunting of how they could've come sooner.  
A sickly green symbol, one both witch and wizard knew too well, hung above the rubble,  
it's light slowly fading, though still clear enough to see the skull and snake. A horrible  
burnt smell, one neither wanted to guess was, stung their noses. Both adults had brought  
their wands, not wanting to be unprepared if they met a Death Eater, and brought them  
out as they landed. James' grip on his wand tightened as he felt anger surge through him at  
what the Death Eaters had done to his wife's family.  
  
Lily gaped as she held Harry, imaging the horrible deaths her sister and brother-in-  
law must have met. She remembered all the horror stories from other families, how they'd  
been torn and hurt when they'd seen the scene of their loved ones' demise. She'd listened,  
praying it'd never happen to her, thinking she couldn't have stood it if it ever came to her  
friends and family. The realization that it was her this time struck so deep she felt like she  
could die. She closed her eyes and gulped. They had to still be inside, dead. James, sensing  
her reluctance to go in, went first.   
  
James checked the living room, smoke rising from the furniture and old T.V. set.  
No body was in that room. He shuddered, knowing he would find two corpses and moved  
on. His steps creaked on the burned floor. The kitchen was almost beyond recognition, no  
doubt the place the fire had started. He turned the stove off, burning his hand. It was  
scorchingly hot. This must have been done just hours ago.   
  
James took another step and his foot fell through the floor. He cursed under his  
breath, not wanting to alert and worry Lily. As he used one hand on his leg and the other  
to balance himself on the floor, his hand hit something. He looked under his hand to see a  
limp hand outstretched, still warm, though colder than a human's flesh should be. With his  
eyes closed tight, he retracted his hand and got out of the hole by pulling his foot out  
hurriedly.  
  
"Did...did you find them?" Lily asked once he was outside, gasping. James stared  
at her, as if seeing her in a new light. It could've been her, dead, limp, if Voldemort hadn't  
been defeated. The evil wizard had wanted his wife for some purpose, one no one knew  
except Lily, who refused to tell anyone what it was. If he didn't get her, James had known  
that he'd kill her, he'd known by the reckless way Voldemart would dispose of people if  
they didn't comply to his wishes. James felt tears sting his eyes as Lily trembled on the  
sidewalk, clutching their baby with frightened arms.   
  
James rushed up to Lily and hugged her fiercely. He felt her tears soaking through  
his cloak. Harry squirmed between them, his green eyes opening. Mother and Father  
watched their child, hoping he wouldn't scream, letting the whole block know they were  
there. Harry was silent.  
  
"Was Dudley there?" Lily whispered to James, eyes still locked on Harry. She  
didn't want to imagine what would've happened if James and she were the ones killed,  
leaving Harry to fight for his own. It was her fault, in a way, that Petunia was dead. If  
she'd just given into Voldemort's wishes....  
  
James clenched her shoulder, and those treacherous thoughts fled her mind. What  
was she thinking? Voldemort would likely have killed her after his deed was done anyway.  
She'd seen him do so many horrible things to others, even his Death Eaters.   
  
"I'm going to get him," she announced when James said nothing of Dudley, and  
pushed off her husband's tight hold, pushing Harry into his arms. He would've sheltered  
her if he could; she knew that he thought she was delicate and couldn't handle the pain of  
her sister's death. Maybe he was right, but Lily couldn't stand to just sit back and watch  
her world crash without her at least trying to keep it together.  
  
  
  



	2. 1: Second Son

Untitled (to be decided when I see where this story is gonna go)  
By: SleepyAngel  
  
Chapter One: The Second Son  
  
The house was more terrible inside then it looked outside. It stunk like charred  
wood and burning flesh, but she tried to ignore that and think of where her sister had kept  
her son. Lily had visited them with James once, when she was still very pregnant with  
Harry, and they'd been treated like gnomes: annoying and unwanted persons. Petunia and  
Vernon had barely spoke to them, both with a mix of emotions on their faces, between  
disgust and fear. Their own son had just been born, a big pink faced boy with wisps of  
blonde hair growing. The couple loved him fiercely, and wouldn't let the Potter's touch  
him. But Lily vaguely remembered Petunia carrying their son upstairs before Vernon  
shooed them out the door after thirty minutes of uncomfortable conversation.   
Lily wiped her eyes free from the tears that came with the disappointment of never  
getting to be friends with her sister again after she'd gotten into Hogwarts. It hurt  
everytime she had looked at Petunia, who'd turn a hurt back to her, as if by being a witch  
it was betraying to her family. But Lily had given up after one year of that treatment,  
finding better friends with her new classmates.  
  
Lily searched the home, from the living room to the closet, leaving the memories  
to try and face the future of Dudley, the baby she'd seen once so long ago. She didn't  
know why it was important; maybe it was making up for the lost years of her sister's  
coldness, maybe it was a way to show her sister she really did love her, maybe she just  
wouldn't want her own son in the same situation. All she knew was that she had to find the  
upstairs.  
  
The stairs were barely recognizable, but she found them after stumbling through  
the smoldering hall. The steps shifted and threatened to fall when she hesitantly put a foot  
on them. Lily looked up the flight, wishing she had made James do this. Then, a second  
later, she rushed up the stairs, not caring that they broke after her foot had left each one.  
She looked back, but ignored the sick feeling of there being no steps left. She'd just have  
to Apparate, though that made her feel worse. Having always hated magic that she had to  
perform using her own body as an experiment, she much preferred the Muggle way of  
stairs and trains. At least flying on a broom was safe.  
  
There were four bedrooms that met her as she gazed at the upstairs. Lily randomly  
picked one and went in it, finding a room filled with child's toys and extra things a baby  
didn't need, but spoiled ones got. She left the room and listened for a second, to hear weak  
wailing. Running, she burst through one door that seemed untouched by the choas all  
around it, but obviously lived in. From a corner of the room, the crying continued.  
Leaping over to land on the Dursley's bed, Lily peered into a baby's bassinet. A pink-faced  
round child screamed back at her, obviously pleased to have an audience. Lily smiled and  
picked up the baby Dudley.  
  
"Sh, sh. Don't cry, baby. I'll get you out of here," she whispered and cradled him.  
His crying became less, as if he was getting weak, and he finally fell back to sleep.  
Carefully, Lily carried him out of the door, closing it as if she might disturb some one  
inside, and walked back to the place the stairs started. Only there were no steps left.  
  
Biting her lip, Lily planned her choices. She could call out, risking people finding  
them and questioning why they were inside number four Privet Drive. She could Apparate,  
risk messing up with all the pressure and fear she felt, and end up leaving half her body  
and Dudley behind. Or she could jump. Surpringly, her last idea seemed her best.  
  
With a deep breath, Lily leapt off of the landing. She breathed again when she hit  
the floor below, without waking the baby in her arms. Before she could get up from her  
crouch on the floor that she used to absorb the shock of the drop, she heard something.  
Looking up, she noticed that the upstairs was shaking, trembling with the unexpected jolt  
of her hard landing. Before she could even think, she got herself up and tried to run for  
safety, realizing that wouldn't work. Frantically, she searched for a hiding spot, and, seeing  
a cupboard, dove for it. She made it just as the floor collapsed. Lily and Dudley stayed in  
the cupboard under the stairs until the shaking and noise stopped. Luckily, Dudley slept  
through it and Lily hoped the rest of the neighborhood had too.  
  
She slowly opened the door of the cramped room, rocking the baby with her free  
arm. He kept snoring and she walked out when she saw that nothing more would fall from  
the upstairs. Lily felt her throat close, causing her breath to stop, as she walked towards  
the door. This was saying that there was no saving her sister and brother-in-law, this was  
saying that she had been defenceless against Voldemort again. Like the time he had-  
She shook her head from the thought and opened the door to the cool, fresh night.  
  
James looked up as he heard the door creak and came out from a tree's hiding  
place. He had been watching Harry, who was awake but didn't utter a cry, even as they  
heard crashing inside the house. Lily and James were lucky for such a quiet child,  
especially in the time of greatest desperation that the wizarding world had ever known.  
Lily looked like the living dead, walking slower than a snail's crawl, face pasty white.  
  
"Lily!" he cried as he approached her, though the cry was barely audible. He saw  
her eyes come up to meet his, so dull. James nearly tripped over his feet as he saw that.  
He'd always thought of her eyes so lively and dancing, not deathly and hopeless. His  
unoccupied arm was around her before he could stop it.  
  
"It's-it's so...so..." Lily gulped as she tried to speak through her tears. She only  
used one arm to hug him back, her chin resting on his shoulder. James stroked her red  
hair, knowing it would be little comfort.  
  
They stood forever on the moonlit grass, holding each other, barely noticing all the  
owls flying above them, the animals still cautious since the defeat of the darkest wizard  
had just happened scarcely a day, or maybe long hours, before. James couldn't stop his  
grip, it was too easy to keep holding on. Everything else was crashing away from his  
grasp, and he had to believe that there was something he could still touch, something he  
could still love. He wished for the simple days of youth when all he and his friends cared  
about were tricking the teachers, or finding a new hallway, or talking to Lily when they  
were still in the crush phase of love. Those days were so precious now, when all seemed  
lost, even with Voldemort gone.  
  
The thing that broke the two's embrace was the sudden squall coming from Lily's  
arms. Stepping back from a daze, Lily stared at the bundle of blankets into the round face  
of Dudley Dursley. Her eyes misted, thinking that his crying was the most beautiful sound  
in the world. Anything that proved Voldemort hadn't completely succeeded was sweet.  
With his cousin getting all the attention, Harry decided it was time to stop being  
quiet and let his own wails disrupt the night. The parents' of the baby looked up from the  
child in each of their arms and into each other's eyes.  
  
"Are you sure we're ready for parenthood with two?" James asked, slowly rocking  
Harry in a soothing, lulling motion. His crying subsided and his baby eyes strained to see  
the other baby. Lily tilted the big Dudley enough for the two to get a good look at each  
other. They must have liked what they saw, because the night was silent again, both  
children drifting into sleep. It was that easy to mend a slight pain.  
  
Lily's clear, green eyes shone with unfallen tears, or maybe a slight victory won in  
her heart. "We'll have to be. I will not abandon this child. Dudley is now our son just as  
much as Harry is."  
  



	3. 2: Two Owls

Dudley Dursley and The Golden Feather  
By: SleepyAngel  
  
2. Two Owls  
  
"Hey, no fair!" A slightly chubby boy of eleven called after his cousin, legs  
pumping to catch up. Dudley hated it that Harry was quicker and better at games then  
himself, especially when the younger boy cheated a little to improve his chances. Like  
using his father's wand to throw a ball into Harry's arms as he ran, making it impossible for  
Dudley to play.  
  
Harry was laughing by the time Dudly had caught up, panting and collapsing on  
the green lawn. Dudley lay on the soft ground and stared up at the sky, wishing he knew  
some magic too. Green eyes twinkled above his prone figure, telling him that Harry was  
leaning over him.  
  
"Having fun, Duds?" The question was a mockery, but Dudley didn't respond. He  
wasn't up for jumping at his cousin's bait right now.  
  
Hooting caught both of the boys' attention, looking up for the owl. A brown, barn  
delivery one swooped toward their home, going in through the open kitchen window. It  
flew out, minutes later, after two voices inside could be heard accepting the message.  
Dudley and Harry stared at each other, knowing that what would come next would not be  
good.  
  
Sure enough, a roar came from within the kitchen, causing the boys to jump and  
for Harry to search for a hiding place. Apparently finding it, he sped away, using those  
super fast running skills he had. Dudley sat, dumbly, on the grass, waiting for his two  
angry relatives to come out, ready to punish some one. Aunt Lily burst out the back door  
first, short, red hair swaying at her shoulders, eyes blazing. Uncle James followed,  
stomping like a battling centaur and his jaw set in a tight lock. Harry looked like both of  
them so much and that thought struck Dudley in a painful way. He'd never known who he  
looked like.  
  
"HARRY! Where ever you are, I demand you show yourself now! Young man,  
you have really crossed the line!" bellowed Uncle James, a vein nearly visible in his neck.  
Dudley stared at the grass, wishing he wasn't caught in the middle of this. If Harry didn't  
have Dudley around to taunt about the fact he couldn't do magic, he wouldn't have  
cheated again, causing the Improper Use of Magic Office to send another letter. The third  
this month, meaning Harry was in big trouble this time.  
  
A cowering figure slunk out from behind the huge trees in the backyard, his black  
hair falling in front of his face. Aunt Lily ran up to him, dragging him by the ear over to  
her husband, her eyes on fire. Dudley was glad that he never got those type of looks from  
his aunt.  
  
"Explain yourself," Aunt Lily growled, never raising her voice, making the tone  
even scarier. Dudley pretended to examined a little ant crawling up his arm. Its little feet  
tickled, but he didn't feel like laughing.  
  
"I-I was just playing with Dudley. I didn't mean to-to set off any spells. Did I,  
Duds?" Harry's frog eyes pleaded for his cousin to agree, and Dudley shook his head, still  
not meeting anyone's eyes.  
  
Naturally, Harry's parents weren't going to buy that. By some supernatural power  
only parents had, both of the adults' glares found themselves moving to the forgotten  
wand on the grass, the most important part of the puzzle, laying in plain sight. Harry and  
Dudly stared at it, both wishing to be somewhere else.  
  
"I-I-" Harry stuttered, trying to explain, Dudley guessed, but failed. Aunt Lily  
threw her arms up in the air and Uncle James ran over to the wand, whispering and  
pointing to himself. He was gone, Apparated. Unfortunately, there was still an adult  
around to yell.  
  
"I've had enough of this behavior! What is the matter with you, Harry? Why do  
you have to cause so much trouble? We expect more out of you, young man. You better  
start thinking before you do things. Your father has been looking all this morning for his  
wand so he can get to work, only to find that his own son has taken it to taunt his cousin!"  
Dudley pretended to be deaf and dumb, like he had no idea which cousin they meant. He  
hated it when he was dragged into the fights.  
  
"Maybe I wouldn't taunt him if he wasn't so different!" Harry shot back, his own  
anger awaking. Dudley looked up, unused to his cousin having the courage to fight back.  
It was the wrong thing to say. "What do you mean, different?" The last word was  
stressed to the point of a snarl. Aunt Lily never liked to mention the fact that Dudley was  
a Muggle. Somehow, it made her sad or angry, depending on her moods. Right now, she  
was boiling.  
  
Harry didn't seem to notice that if he answered truthfully, he'd be in worse trouble  
than before. "Why should he get to be in our family? Why do we have to take care of him?  
He always gets his way, just because he doesn't have parents! It's always my fault  
whenever there's trouble and he just sits like he's so innocent. When I try to have fun,  
some how it just gets me in trouble. I hate him!" Harry ran away, slamming the back door  
behind him. Dudley could hear footsteps pounding up the stairs, and loud crying from  
upstairs. He couldn't look at Aunt Lily, sure that she asked herself those same questions of  
herself. He didn't deserve to home with them, worth as much as a Squib. Her eyes were no  
doubt blazing now, angry for the responsibility of another child.  
  
"Dudley?" Aunt Lily's voice wasn't cutting and sharp when she said his name, but  
barely above a whisper. Slowly, cautiously, Dudley raised his eyes to see his aunt's blotchy  
face and teary eyes. Surprised, he stood up, brushing the grass off his bottom.  
  
"I'm-I'm so sorry, Dudley. Harry-he just....he doesn't mean it. Eleven years ago, I  
thought that keeping you with us would be best. I don't know why Harry is so upset about  
it. He doesn't understand how hard it must be for you." She didn't say it, but Dudley knew  
what she meant; living in a completely wizarding world, and not having a touch of magic  
or even anyone he could call parents. Parents like him at least.  
  
"Something just came over me when I saw-saw Petunia. I had to take care of you.  
But-" With a shaking hand, Aunt Lily wiped her eyes. Dudley studied the skies, seeing a  
owl in the distance coming closer. He wondered what message it brought. "-Hogwarts no  
doubt sending a letter any day now, I don't know what we should do. I can't see sending  
you to some awful boarding school-" The owl's deep, rich chestnut feathers ruffled in the  
wave it created, gently drifting on wind currents. Dudley wished himself such freedom, the  
ability to just soar, far, far away.  
  
"-how much you hated going to school with Harry for these years. Whenever you  
couldn't do a thing with a wand, the teacher having to explain what a Squib was-" Dudley  
knew it was rude to not listen, but he couldn't take his eyes of the yellow eyes of the owl.  
He could see the pupil and iris of the bird as it neared. He knew it was coming to the  
Potter's.   
  
Finally, Aunt Lily stopped her attempts to explain Harry's behavior, noticed the  
bird and held her arm out as a perch. The beautiful animal landed gracefully, hooting  
softly, like a true lady. Dudley couldn't stop staring at her. He could just tell she was  
female by her motherly eyes and perfectly groomed feathers. Involuntarily, Dudley reached  
his hand out to stroke the owl. She tilted his head to meet his hand and hooted again when  
he traced fingers down her neck. Aunt Lily was murmuring to herself at the letter she'd  
snatched from the owl's mouth. Her brow was furrowed.  
  
"Who is it from?" Dudley asked, leaning to try and get a glance. Aunt Lily jumped,  
as if she'd forgotten he was there. She quickly composed herself, pushing her hair behind  
her ears, clearing her throat and looking into Dudley's eyes for a second before leaving  
them.  
  
"It's...well, it's from Sirius," she replied, her eyes scanning the page again, as if she  
couldn't believe it. Dudley wondered what would be so wierd about Harry's Godfather  
writing, since they usually got a few letters a month, and sometimes gifts. Dudley knew  
Sirius-he visited once a month-and he liked him. He was a carefree, smiling, trickster,  
something Uncle James said he'd been all his life. Dudley had never met his own  
Godfather, a man who'd died when he was very young, some man named Remus Lupin.  
Aunt Lily and Uncle James didn't like to talk about him much, and Dudley and Harry didn't  
know why.  
  
"I-I think I need to get James," Aunt Lily said, more to herself than to Dudley. He  
stared as she walked back inside, totally dumbfounded by something. The owl hooted  
from her arm and flew out to Dudley. He watched, breathless, as she landed on his  
shoulder. No animal had ever come to him before.  
  
"Why is that owl here?" A voice asked. Dudley snapped to attention. The bird had  
captivated him and he'd forgotten he was standing in the middle of the Potter's yard,  
staring stupidly at the beautiful creature.  
  
The voice belonged to Harry as Dudley quickly found out by turning around to  
find his cousin standing behind him, arms crossed, eyes red under his thick glasses. The  
affect of the glass magnified them, making them look watery and big. Dudley didn't say  
anything to reply to Harry's question.  
  
Rolling his eyes, Harry came up to Dudley and reached out a hand to the bird. She  
stared at him, allowing the hand to travel over her fine feathers. She cooed gently and  
nipped at Dudley's ear, rather affectionately he thought. Harry smiled and nodded. "She  
likes you."  
  
"You think she's a girl too?" Dudley asked, relieved his cousin had gotten over his  
previous tantrum.  
  
Harry nodded again. "She has motherly eyes and such a gentle...I don't know. A  
gentle aura? I'm not good at describing those type of things. You can just tell." Dudley  
understood what he meant and smiled at the bird. She was truly beautiful.  
  
"There you are, Harry!" Both boys jumped slightly, surprised by the female voice, no  
longer angry. Aunt Lily was fairly running over to them, though she still managed to look  
like she was simply gliding over. "Your father will be coming soon. We need to talk to  
both of you. It's very important. Come inside." Aunt Lily walked back to the house,  
leaving the boys to stare at eachother. Harry shrugged and Dudley repeated the gesture.  
They both went inside. 


	4. 3: A Confusing Explanation

Dudley Dursley and the Golden Eye(yes i changed it again)  
By: SleepyAngel  
  
3: A Confusing Explanation   
  
The house was rather strange, filled with things such as self-do-whatever items,  
many spell books, three large owls, and many objects that talked back. None of these  
seemed unusual to the Potter's or to Dudley, who'd all lived with these things their whole  
lives. Wizardry was so natural to them that they didn't even mention the talking portraits  
on the walls or notice the ever shifting hallways.  
  
"I expect James should be here soon-" Aunt Lily said as some one came out of the  
fire place, covered in ash. Dudley smiled at Uncle James, his glasses crooked and his hair  
as crazy and wild as Harry's. Dudley truly admired his uncle, glad that he didn't try to go  
through any Muggle troubles of getting surgery done on his eyes or trying to magic his  
hair differently. He liked his nonjudgemental relatives, even if this meant that they treated  
him as an equal when he was little more than a Squib.  
  
Harry shrunk back slightly in his seat, as if expecting a lecture, a loud one, from his  
father. Dudley knew that Uncle James could get very loud and would if need be. But  
neither parent looked like they had anything left to yell at Harry about, and Harry and  
Dudley both relaxed. Dudley really hated it when his uncle and aunt got on Harry's case,  
because he knew that he would feel cheated too if his cousin had to live with them, a  
cousin who was different.  
  
"Well, boys, we need to talk to you. About things we maybe should have told you  
earlier, but...." Aunt Lily started, and didn't seem to know how to finish. Luckily, Uncle  
  
James was there and he came up from behind and hugged her as he continued.  
"Ten years ago, there was a horrible, horrible thing that happened. The greatest  
wizard who'd ever lived was killed, to give his life to give all the rest of us a chance."  
Dudley and Harry nodded, having heard this story many times before, about Voldemort  
and Dumbledore. Why was this something new? "Dudley, we've told you before that your  
parents were killed by Voldemort's followers, wanting revenge." He nodded, blinking back  
tears. He didn't want to look babish in front of Harry so he pretended it was okay. "They  
didn't pick your family at random. And they messed up on the most important part. They  
didn't get you."  
  
"Thank God!" Aunt Lily interjected, wiping her eyes. Harry stared at the table top,  
while Dudley watched his uncle and aunt, both with so much pain stored up that they had  
to get it out.   
  
"We thought that it was only Lily and Harry that Voldemort had wanted, but, after  
all these years, we've found different. He wanted you too, Dudley."  
Dudley stared, sure that he must look dumb just sitting there with wide eyes. What  
would anyone want him, a defenceless, stupid, young Squib?  
  
"Let me try to explain, James. You don't even know it all," Aunt Lily interrupted,  
surprising Uncle James with what she said. Her bright green eyes, just like Harry's, were  
dewy, but they still had that strong sense of power, like she knew she would make it  
through whatever was so terrible. He nodded, giving her shoulders an extra squeeze. With  
a deep breath, Aunt Lily said, "When I was a young girl, there was this man who-who was  
quite enchanted with me, I guess you could say," Aunt Lily's eyes shifted to the ground, as  
if ashamed. Dudley and Harry didn't notice, but Uncle James' eyes were on fire and his  
grip on his wife tightened. "This man always caught me when I was alone, and I pushed  
him away, knowing that he wasn't being right and that I should tell some one, but I never  
could. It was like some one had put a clamp on my throat whenever I tried, so I gave up  
and went on fighting impassively, resisting this man. When I met James, the man left me  
alone for a while, and I was grateful. After a while, I forgot about this man as I fell in love  
with James. But, after Hogwarts, when we were about to be married, the man returned,  
and not alone. He tried-he tried to get me to join him in some evil purpose, to try and rid  
the world of Muggles. I never wanted to, knowing I was Muggle myself. I don't know  
why he would choose me for the longest time."  
  
"Why did he choose you, Aunt Lily?" Dudley asked, timidly as he watched his aunt  
wipe her eyes. Harry wasn't even watching his parents; his eyes were fixed on the table, as  
if bored. Dudley, personally, found this new story fascinating.  
  
"Because-because of my eye color." The explanation stunned Dudley. If eyes were  
the key, there were hundreds of wizards with the same colored eyes. But, Dudley noted in  
the back of his mind, none were nearly as brightly green as Aunt Lily's or Harry's.  
  
"That's stupid," Harry muttered, obviously thinking it was a fairy tale, though no  
one but Dudley heard the words. For this, he was glad. The last thing they needed now  
was another fight when emotions were already straining.  
  
Trying to get the rest of the story, Dudley asked, "Why are your eyes important? I  
mean, they're really pretty, so green and everything..."  
  
"Eyes are very important in the wizarding society, or with any type of people.  
They are the window to a person's soul, they portray so much....emotion and feeling. And  
with wizards, the color is very important. Colors tell your character sometimes, though  
they have been wrong before, like green being power and the person was a weakling, or  
brown standing for steadiness and the person was a flake, or such other nonsense. People  
are who they want to become, I say," Uncle James said, "Many prophecies are based on  
eyes' color, a way to tell when the prediction is to be fufilled. I don't think many of those  
prophecies, they're mostly just fairy tales cooked up by crazy seers whose heads are lost in  
too many symbols and the future. I think we should choose our own ways of living, none  
of this giving into supposed destiny. We make our own destinies." Uncle James shook his  
head, having been over the argument with everyone and anyone so many times. It made  
sense to Dudley, who respected his uncle's thinking very much. The man was so wise, but  
also easy to talk to that Dudley enjoyed listening to Uncle James' opinions, no matter how  
repeated.   
  
"How can eyes tell some one's character if so many are alike?" Dudley wondered  
aloud. Uncle James smiled at the question.  
  
"Eyes are very shaky business, just as Divination is. Though, some have been  
proven true, like how your Aunt Lily's eyes are so brightly green, and she has proven the  
fact that that color, that exact color, is a mark of strong witches or wizards, ones with  
extreme power. She showed her power at a young age, just as Harry shows the same  
promise. But, I still think that those practices are rarely true."  
  
"But some of those prophocies are true, James. The red-eyed one? The one who  
was to cause such destruction and pain that there was little hope anyone would defeat  
him?" Aunt Lily gave Uncle James a very convincing look, one eyebrow raised, mouth  
scrunched to one side, eyes hooking into his that showed they weren't going to give in.  
Dudley and Harry had often received the look when she knew they'd misbehaved, and all  
they needed was a little persuasion to bring the truth out. This look got Dudley every time  
and he confessed to crimes he didn't even know he commited sometimes.  
  
Uncle James shook his head. "What about that part that only a green-eyed one  
would defeat him? You didn't do it, dear, like we believed you would. Dumbledore, with  
periwinkle blues, finally took him down." Aunt Lily was silent, a sign that Uncle James had  
won the argument. Dudley still had questions, each one so confusing that he felt his head  
needed to be tapped so it wasn't so full and twisted.  
  
"Um, Uncle James and Aunt Lily...." Both adults turned to him, and Harry lifted  
his eyes enough to give Dudley a slightly annoyed look, like he was dragging on a lecture  
or something. With that look, Dudley wished he'd kept his mouth shut. He looked back  
up, so confused. Well, he had their attention now..."Is Dumbledore the one with blue  
eyes? Why would Voldemort want me if I have blue eyes? What does this have to do with  
the letter and the owl?"  
  
Two smiles lit the solemn faces of the Potter adults. Uncle James took his wife's hand and  
squeezed it. She turned those stunning eyes on Dudley and held up the letter from Sirius.  
She didn't answer his questions at all. She opened doors of oppurtunity. "You're going to  
live with Sirius. You're to be a wizard, Dudley." 


	5. 4: The Hogwarts Letter

Dudley Dursley and the Golden Eye   
By: SleepyAngel   
  
  
4: The Hogwarts Letter   
  
  
  
"A-a wizard?" Dudley stuttered, staring at his aunt and uncle, wondering if he'd   
heard wrong. He hoped he hadn't. They kept smiling. Aunt Lily handed the letter to   
Dudley.   
  
"I think you should read this," she said, wiping tears. Dudley relized they were   
proud tears. He'd never had proud tears for himself before.   
  
He did as she said and read the letter.   
  
  
Dear Lily and James,   
  
I have some interesting news. I know that soon Harry will be off to Hogwarts and   
that Dudley hasn't shown much potential as a wizard yet. But I have seen some when I   
have visited before and didn't bring it up until I was sure. Friends and I have looked into   
this very much and we believe that Dudley is as capable as anyone to become a wizard. I   
would like it if Dudley could spend the year with me, when Harry leaves for Hogwarts, so   
I could try and train him myself. If Remus was here, I'd give the honor to him, as he was   
better trained as a teacher and knew more about Dudley. That isn't going to happen, so I   
will do it.   
  
It is very important to train these supposed "Squibs", even if they do have very   
little magical ability. It would be very dangerous to just let the talent they do have go to   
waste.You know this from previous experiences.   
  
Give "hello's" to the boys and send an owl soon.   
  
Love, Sirius   
  
  
Dudley looked up, and jumped when he noticed Harry reading over his shoulder.   
He didn't mind for once though. The prospect of being a real wizard erased any bad   
feeling he had for his cousin. He felt like he was full of air, light enough to float away. He   
looked at the letter again. He was going to be a wizard!   
  
"Is this...for real?" Harry asked. Dudley couldn't read the expression his eyes held.   
Some of his happiness slipped away. Harry's tone wasn't exactly the friendliest.   
  
"Yes. Very real." Uncle James actually looked proud and Dudley couldn't help but   
have his chest puff out a little bit. He did have a reason to feel good about himself. Didn't   
he?   
  
"When am I going to Hogwarts?" Harry asked, knowing he would be going, just   
wondering when. Dudley felt an odd feeling in his stomach, like maybe he shouldn't be so   
happy. What if it wasn't true?   
  
A loud tapping interrupted Aunt Lily as she opened her mouth. A ordinary brown   
owl hooted outside and Dudley went to open the window. The bird flew in, dropped a   
yellowish, parchment type envelope, with curvy green handwriting saying very plainly;   
  
  
Mr. H. Potter   
The Shared Bedroom Upstairs   
144 Nimbus Avenue   
Mimblewimble   
England   
  
  
"Harry?" Dudley handed the letter to his cousin, glad the letter had come. Harry   
looked ready to start another fight. He didn't like how Dudley was treated as such an   
equal as a real wizard. Dudley still didn't fully believe that his aunt, uncle, and Sirius were   
serious. Him? A wizard? It was so far-fetched that he couldn't believe he even let himself   
think for the smallest second that it could be true. Aunt Lily and Uncle James were just   
trying to pretend like he was the same as Harry.   
  
Excitedly, Harry tore at the envolope and Dudley could see his cousin's hands were   
shaking. He had a right. Any wizard or witch that recieved their first of seven Hogwarts   
School of Witchcraft and Wizardry school letters about the beginning of the term had a   
reason to be excited. Dudley almost felt jealous, but then he remembered how   
embarrassing it would be to go, have no power to show to anyone, and to be sent home   
again.   
  
One look at his aunt and uncle's shining eyes told him all he needed to know. The   
look they had when the looked at Harry was five times prouder than when it had looked at   
Dudley. The thought made Dudley push Sirius' letter away. What did it matter if he   
received training? He would never be a wizard like Harry would be.   
  
Uncle James picked up one page of the letter and looked it over, his eyes still shiny   
with proud tears. Aunt Lily had her hands over her eyes, barely able to compose herself.   
Dudley heard slight sniffles and he could hardly believe his aunt was being so emotional,   
even if it was a special occasion. Aunt Lily never showed such feelings, but today had   
been a very hectic day, so Dudley guessed she was under a little stress.   
  
"Tomorrow's your birthday, Harry. How about we go to Diagon Alley and pick up   
a few of these things, eh?" Uncle James asked, rereading the paper, one filled with supplies   
obviously.   
  
"Oh, yes, and then we could pick up a few things as presents," Aunt Lily added,   
finally letting her hands away from her face. Her face was slightly puffy and her green eyes   
looked even brighter. Dudley wished for anything that he was a real son of theirs, not just   
an adopted one. They could never love him as much as they did Harry and Dudley knew   
he couldn't blame them. He was just a stupid, orphaned Squib.   
  
Harry finally looked up from his letter, face beaming. He smiled and said, "I'd like   
that." He hugged both of his parents, so tightly Dudley could see their eyes popping. But   
he said nothing as he snuck away to Harry and his room. He didn't feel like sitting through   
exciting tales from Uncle James' and Aunt Lily's days at Hogwarts, though he'd heard   
them since he was a baby. Somehow, when he had listened to them before, he'd pushed the   
fact that he'd never go in the back of his mind. Maybe some sick part of him was letting   
himself believe that he would.   
  
As he came to the closed door of his and Harry's room, Dudley decided to try a   
little experiment. He had noticed that Harry had been able to walk in the room without   
touching the doorknob, especially when he was excited or upset. Aunt Lily had explained   
that wizards could do magical things without meaning to when their emotions were   
running high. She smiled when Dudley had asked if he'd ever done anything, but she didn't   
answer. He had accepted this at the time, but now he wanted to see for himself.   
  
Closing his eyes and concentrating on the hopeless and sad feeling he had now,   
Dudley tried to walk into the room. With a sickening slam, Dudley opened his eyes to find   
himself sprawled on the floor and the door in the same place it'd been before. The only   
indication that anything happened were the startings of a bruise on his slightly piggish   
nose. Tears welled up in Dudley's eyes, and they weren't proud ones or ones from the   
pain. He hadn't been able to do the simple of act of opening a door with just the vibes of   
his feelings to push it open.   
  
What potential was Sirius talking about? 


	6. 5: An Encounter of Friends

Dudley Dursley and The Golden Eye   
By: SleepyAngel   
  
  
  
5: An Encounter of Friends   
  
"Harry! Harry!" The Potter family and Dudley turned at the voice. Harry smiled   
and ran to meet his friend, Ron Weasley. Ron's father worked for the Ministry of Magic,   
like Harry's, and the two men had introduced the boys. Dudley liked Ron, but he felt like   
an intruder whenever he tried to hang out with Ron and Harry. He didn't want Harry   
thinking he was taking his friends. Harry already believed that Dudley was striving to take   
all he had because he had none of his own.   
  
"Hello, Arthur," Uncle James greeted the older man following his son. They shook   
hands and Mr. Weasley kissed Aunt Lily's cheek, finishing by patting Dudley's head,   
making the boy feel like a pet dog.   
  
"Oh, Lily, dear! And Dudley! How good to see you!" exclaimed a familar voice,   
followed by Mrs. Weasley's round body, radiating with warmth and love. She walked right   
up to Dudley and hugged him, squeezing the air right out of him. Dudley felt he could just   
be a complete stranger to her and still feel as comfortable hugging her as he was now, her   
pudgy body surrounding him. She finally released and went on to hug the others in their   
group. Ron seemed slightly pink when she was done, but no one mentioned this. Dudley   
knew he wouldn't care if his mother did something like that. At least Ron's parents were   
alive to embarrass him.   
  
The rest of the Weasley's had joined them by this time, making the group into one   
of eleven. Ginny, Fred, George, and Percy had added themselves to the numbers.   
  
"We're buying school supplies and birthday presents," Aunt Lily said.   
Mrs. Weasley nodded and reached into a bag she held. "That reminds me, Harry.   
Here, I made some things for you," she said and handed over a lumpy package. Dudley   
knew what it was, since Harry and himself received the same gifts for their birthdays and   
Christmas: a hand-knitted sweater, chewy fudge, and a friendly card. Knowing that the   
Weasley's were far from rich, he appreciated these gifts, loving the fact Mrs. Weasley was   
so giving when she barely had enough to give. The little bit she was able to meant a lot to   
Dudley.   
  
Harry, also knowing the contents of the package, opened it, though no eagerly.   
Ron was bright pink now, scuffling his shoes in the dirt. The sweater was green, matching   
Harry's eyes, and had an "H" in aqua blue yarn. Personally, it was a very nice sweater to   
Dudley, but Harry pushed it aside with a smile and, "Thank you." He did the same with the   
fudge, which Dudley was trying to calculate a way to get a piece of.   
  
"Well, I suppose we should shop now," Aunt Lily concluded, gently taking her   
son's presents and setting them in the bag she carried, mainly to carry Harry and Dudley's   
supplies back home.   
  
"Yes. I was so glad when we received the letter. I knew it was coming, but just to   
see another boy off...and next year, Ginny! I won't have any children left soon!"   
Mrs.Weasley lamented. She complained about them at times, but anyone could see how   
much she adored her offspring.   
  
"Aw, shucks, mum. You're gonna make us blush," George (or Fred?) quipped,   
being the comedian the twins were expected to be. The other red head nodded, holding his   
cheeks as if they were hot with the abashment.   
  
The group laughed, though Percy merely sniffed, as they walked down the streets   
of the famaliar Diagon Alley, an assortment of wizarding shops. Dudley felt he could   
never see enough, wishing he had ten eyes so he could capture it all. It was the same   
feeling he had when they had visited Hogsmede last year. Even if he was used to many of   
the wizard things they had around the house, magic was still fascinating to him, as if it   
were part of his blood too.   
  
It's not of course, Dudley thought to himself, remembering the door incident.   
Luckily, everyone downstairs had been to excited about Hogwarts to pay much attention   
the crashing noise he had made. His cheeks burned at the thought of having to explain that   
one. It was going to be bad enough when he went to Sirius' on September 1st, and they all   
learned the truth; that Dudley was fully, completely, and hopelessly a Muggle.   
  
"Dudley, dear, we're over here," Mrs. Weasley called kindly as Dudley noticed he   
was the only one still walking. The rest had turned into Gringotts, and Dudley had   
unwittingly kept on going. Squeezing his eyes tight before he walked back, Dudley prayed   
that he could just Apparate and land some where far, far away. His prayer wasn't   
answered, and he had to turn around and walk back to his family. He could see Harry   
covering his mouth, and stifling a suspicious cough. Ron wasn't laughing, but his eyes   
were dancing, in a mischievious way that Dudley had often seen his twin brother's eyes   
turn.   
  
Dudley avoided the eyes of goblins as Uncle James went down to the Potter safe   
while the others stayed upstairs. Mr. Weasley went with him, to spare the goblin Griphook   
another trip. When he was little, Dudley had wanted to go with Uncle James, just to see   
what money they had and if what Harry said about a dragon in the dark hallways was true.   
After taking one look at the goblins as a child though, he decided that he'd rather not be   
caught in small, narrow, underground passageway with such a creature. Though small,   
goblins were anything but weak as far as Dudley could see. He still couldn't find it in   
himself to look directly at them, finding it better to take side glances and not make eye   
contact.   
  
"-and mum says I'm to get a new wand! I have-ahem-tried dad's a little, but I can't   
wait for my own! It will work better for me no doubt. Mum says that each wand is as   
unique as its owner, and the wand picks the wizard, or something like that-" Harry was   
excitedly telling Ron, though Dudley could see Ginny listening in. The ten year old had a   
bit of a crush on Dudley's cousin, making him feel a little sympathetic with her. After all,   
he was pining for the things Harry had: family, friends, wizarding skills. Ginny was just as   
in awe of the black haired boy as he was. Harry had everything a boy could ever ask for.   
  
"Well, you simply must come to the Burrow for dinner sometime, Lily. Really, it   
has been too long since we've chatted. Don't know why we always wait and wait, thinking   
the other will send an owl. I miss you so much, dear. How about you come for tea, one of   
those days that you're feeling lonely while dear Harry and Dudley are away, eh? I think it   
would be rather comforting for the both of us, with me only one child away from all of   
them at Hogwarts. To think, you only have two boys to care for. Why, my house is always   
completely dull when none by Ginny is around. You should come to liven things up there a   
bit." Mrs. Weasley chattered on to Aunt Lily, who seemed to be listening, while keeping   
on an eye on Fred and George, both who seemed to be up to know good.   
  
"That does sound nice, Molly. I'll send Attica as soon as I feel lonely," Aunt Lily   
replied, naming the pet owl the Potter's owned. Attica was a beautiful, tawny colored owl,   
with streaks of brownish-black through the feathers, and wide eyes that were a strange   
yellow, though they went with the rest of her coloring nicely. Though pretty, Attica was   
no match for that owl that had come with Sirius' letter. Dudley couldn't believe he'd been   
able to push that beauty out of his mind. For some reason, he felt connected with that owl,   
just by glancing into those golden eyes of hers. Shortly after Uncle James had arrived   
home, the owl had flown off, giving Dudley a sense of loss. Maybe Aunt Lily and Uncle   
James would buy him his own owl, like they were sure to do for Harry, for his future life   
with Sirius. After all, he would want to send letters home to them, and be able to have a   
pet, just one of his own, something Harry couldn't claim he was trying to take.   
  
"Dudley? Dudley?" Dudley shook his head, glancing around wildly. He'd been   
caught in a strange sort of nothing; it was like that owl was back again and he was lost in   
her eyes. He'd felt free, flying, like he could do something major.   
Uncle James and Mr. Weasley had apparently come back from their vaults, their   
money-bags much fuller. Everyone had assembled in a sort of group, except for Dudley,   
who stood by himself, staring into space in front of the big clock. He felt a blush creep up   
his cheeks and he hurried over to the group.   
  
"We're going to The Leaky Cauldron for something to eat. You must be hungry,   
Dudley," Aunt Lily said. Dudley nodded and Harry shook his head, as if he couldn't   
believe they were related. Dudley had the same feeling as he watched the two wizarding   
families walk ahead of him. How could he be a part of this?   
  
Something golden flashed in his mind and he made a decision, like something had   
just clicked into place. No matter what it took, he was going to prove that he was worthy   
of the title wizard as much as Harry was. After all, Sirius, Uncle James, and Aunt Lily   
believed in him. What else did he need? 


	7. 6: Wands, Eyes, & a Godfather

Dudley Dursley and the Golden Eye  
By: SleepyAngel  
  
  
6: Wands, Eyes, & a Godfather   
  
  
"Well, Harry, try this one. Ten and a quarter inches, dragon heartstring, willow.  
Very good for charms." Mr. Ollivander gave a wispy smile to Aunt Lily. "As your mother  
has. Give it a wave." Harry did so, but the old man once again snatched it from his hand  
and went back to the numerous boxes littering the shelves. "No, I suppose we'll have to  
try...Ah! Eleven inches, unicorn hair..."   
  
Dudley tuned out, having heard so many suggestions about wands and different  
combinations and everything from the slightly creepy old man. He'd even heard a few  
comments on Uncle James and Aunt Lily's wands, and how they were working. The man  
seemed no nonsense, but a bit excited that it was "Lily and James' Harry" coming to get  
his wand. Uncle James leaned over to whisper in his ear, noticing the glazed look on his  
face, "Maybe you want to wait outside until it's your turn?" Dudley nodded gratefully and  
snuck out the door, not really having to bother since the others were so interested in  
Harry's new wand.  
  
In the warm sunshine and bustle of activity and noise, Dudley relaxed after the  
strange, harsh hush and slight darkness in the wandmaker's shop. He didn't know what to  
think about Mr. Ollivander, who seemed a little crazy for a moment, lost in thoughts of  
wands, then completely serious and sane the next about issues and problems his wands had  
caused. Uncle James and Aunt Lily admired him very much, so Dudley decided he must be  
a good guy.   
  
Dudley closed his eyes for a second, only to feel something soft and flitty brush  
against his cheek. He opened them to see that beautiful owl again. Smiling, he reached a  
hand up to her head, and into his open hand she dropped a piece of wood. He frowned and  
looked into her eyes, only to find with a jolt they were different somehow. He couldn't  
explain how, but they seemed deeper, unlike animal's eyes. For a scared second, he  
wondered if this animal was an Animagus. The thought was brushed away when his  
curiousity turned his thoughts about the wood the bird had given him and he looked more  
closely at the stick. The more he looked at it, the more certain he knew it wasn't just a  
stick. This was a wand.  
  
Disbelieving, Dudley stared at the bird, who seemed to hypnotize him with those  
golden--wait, blue?--eyes. He blinked, to clear the confusion in his mind, and to see that  
the eyes were gold, not blue. Why he'd seen blue, he didn't know. Maybe he was in the sun  
too long. It was getting to be near lunch time, the sun high above him and able to make  
anyone drowsy.  
  
"I better go in now," Dudley told the owl, not feeling at all foolish for talking to a  
bird, even if it probably wouldn't understand. To his surprise--but then, it didn't seem too  
strange--, the owl flew away, as if it knew what he'd said, Dudley realized he still was  
holding the wand. Pondering what to do with it, he decided the best idea was to take it in  
with him and show the adults. They would know what to do with it.  
  
The sight that greeted his eyes when he went in was happy one. Harry had found  
his wand--his own wand--and was trying out little spells for an excited pair of parents. Mr.  
Ollivander, though he didn't look like he totally approved, let the black haired boy do as he  
wished. Dudley cleared his throat, knowing that he shouldn't break into the private  
'worship Harry' session, but wanting to get some attention too.  
  
"Ah, yes. Dudley. Now let me see what we have," Mr. Ollivander said, turning his  
back to sort through the boxes of wands once again. Dudley, not knowing what came over  
him, raised the wand from the owl in his hand and asked, "What about this one?"  
  
Mr. Ollivander turned and frowned, obviously displeased with the young boy for  
holding a wand that he'd not been given. Holding back words, he gave a slightly impatient  
nod and Dudley waved it around, having seen Harry do it a dozen times. Instantly, powder  
blue sparks shot from the end and sprinkled the air like snow. Mr. Ollivander's eyes  
widened in surprise, but he quickly composed himself.   
  
"Well, that was easy," he mumbled, something more being calculated behind his  
sharp eyes. Mr. Ollivander turned to Aunt Lily and Uncle James, and, with a slight smile,  
said, "That will be eight Sickles and three Knuts."  
  
The two proud parents paid for their purchases and the four left the shop.  
  
"What do we buy next, Harry?" Uncle James' asked, carrying the wand bag as they  
walked aimlessly around Diagon Alley. Aunt Lily carried two other bags, one with robes  
and clothing, the other filled with potion ingrediants. Harry and Dudley each carried a bag  
of books.  
  
Harry didn't think long after surveying the bags, checking off what he had. His  
eyes lit up when he realized what he still needed. "My owl? Please?"  
  
Uncle James' smiled and ruffled his son's hair. "Sure. And you, Dudley?"  
  
They were close to the Magical Menagerie, and Dudley could hear the hooting and  
feathers of the owls there. But the only animal he could think of possibly ever wanting was  
that beauty of an owl that had visited him twice now, each time bringing something he  
desperately wanted; first, to be a wizard, then a wand of his own. She was the only one he  
wanted to own.  
  
"No, that's okay," Dudley replied distractedly, already lost in daydreams of  
someday owning that owl.   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Don't be nervous. You can always call us if you want to see us. And on the  
holidays you come home..." Aunt Lily reassured Dudley in front of Sirius' door, as she  
smoothed red hair down, seeming more anxious than Dudley felt he was. They had already  
seen Harry off earlier, along with all of his newly bought school supplies and his new pet  
owl, Tubal. Dudley had refused a pet, having thought of that beautiful one he'd seen  
earlier. If he couldn't have that owl, he didn't want any other. No one questioned his  
refusal, and they went on, buying extra supplies to make the new home for each boy like  
the Potter's. Dudley proudly looked at his bag he carried on his shoulder, almost giddy  
about the contents. Finally, things of his own that Harry couldn't claim.  
  
With a deep exhale, Aunt Lily knocked on the door. They waited as heavy  
footsteps approached and Dudley took a deep breath to keep his posture. He didn't have  
much need of it though; he felt like he was filled of butter beer, warm and bubbly. Just  
thinking of the possibilities now that he had the chance at being a wizard.....  
  
"Lily!" The door was thrown up in a sudden movement, and Dudley jumped out of  
a tall man's way. He caught himself before he stumbled and fell, and stood by as he  
watched Sirius and Aunt Lily embrace fiercely.  
  
"It's been so long," Dudley overheard Aunt Lily mutter, and Sirius agreed with a  
mumble of his own. This remark seemed strange, considering Sirius had visited just last  
month, and had stayed for a week. When the two finally seperated from their embrace,  
their eyes turned to Dudley. He felt himself inwardly shrink at the close scrutination, and  
he was sure that he must look horribly scared on the outside as well.  
  
"So?" Aunt Lily asked, her gaze going back to Sirius, her eyes teary. Dudley had  
no idea what she meant, but Siriust must have. He nodded gravely, and put a strong hand  
on her shoulder.  
  
"It'll be alright. Remember the prophecy," he said, the words soothing her. Still  
confused, Dudley stood in front of them, clutching his bags, feeling very left out and  
scared by it.  
  
Aunt Lily unexpectedly pulled Dudley into another hug, holding him so tight that  
he couldn't take a breath. He felt a tear drip onto the top of his head, and he wondered if  
she was crying for him. "Goodbye, Dudley. I love you. And so does Uncle James." Those  
words were enough to give Dudley strength enough to let the hug end, to let his second  
mother go.  
  
"I love you, too," Dudley said, suddenly choked up, realizing how much Aunt Lily  
and Uncle James meant to him. Even Harry was close to him, a relation, parts of a family.  
They meant more than anything to him, a blessing he didn't deserve. More than ever,  
Dudley hoped that being a wizard would make the family complete.  
  
Aunt Lily cast one more look over the two males, and she left on her broom over the  
water again. Dudley watched her disappear over the horizon, leaving him on this island.  
He felt a hand fall on his shoulder, keeping him standing, giving him a reason to leave all  
he knew to start something new. And he added another blessing to his list. 


	8. 7: Sirius' House

Dudley Dursley and the Golden Eye  
By: SleepyAngel  
  
  
7: Sirius' House   
  
"Hungry for anything?" Sirius asked, leading Dudley inside at last, when they'd  
finally lost sight of Aunt Lily over the orange water.  
  
Dudley shook his head, mesmerized by Sirius' home. Dudley had been taking for  
granted the niceties that went along with being in a wizarding family, and now he found  
himself in the most primitive home he'd even set foot in, even more barren then most  
Muggle houses from what he'd seen from Mr. Weasley's book he was compiling: Muggles: a   
fascinating look into a Muggle's life. In Sirius' home, the walls were dark, the lamps   
low-light, and about two other rooms were distinguishable from the open, kitchen-front   
hall set-up. No windows shed any light into the place, which was barren of most wizarding   
things, or even ordinary Muggle conveniences.   
  
Sirius was helping himself to a big sandwich, wolfing it in an animalistic way. He  
looked up, wiping a hand across his mouth, his eyes telling embarrassment. "I'm not used  
to company. Excuse my manners." He gulped down the bit of food that was mushing in his  
mouth through those words, and continued, "I was so nervous before you arrived, scared  
something would happen to you."  
  
Dudley shrugged and clutched his bag tight. "Nothing has happened."  
  
Sirius smiled out of the corner of his mouth, as if it were a good thing. If he was  
the one without any apparent magical powers, he might not be so assured. "Well, should I  
show you your room, then?" Dudley tried to smile back, barely in control of his body as he  
followed Sirius. What were they going to do with him once they found that he had no  
magical talent in him? He tried to remind himself that Sirius and his aunt and uncle thought  
he had potential. The assurances did little however; his mind was still a sick cycle of  
worry.  
  
Sirius turned as he entered one of the rooms Dudley had noted earlier. His arms  
spread, taking in the room.  
  
"Here you are!" A forced smile was on Sirius' face when he showed the room and  
Dudley stared, unused to seeing Sirius' smile not being geniune. The smile had always  
been a comfort to him before, a reassurance that everything was okay enough to joke  
about things. If even Sirius wouldn't smile from his heart, something was definately wrong.  
  
Sirius noticed Dudley's excessive staring, but didn't release the smile or offer an  
explanation. Dudley didn't say or do anything, rooted to his spot as if the smile had frozen  
him. Sirius finally spoke, soothingly, like he was coaxing a testy hippogriff.  
  
"It's okay, Dudley. Just come in," Sirius said, sitting on one corner of the bed. He  
had kept smile and Dudley had forced his feet to walk in. The room was as bare as the rest  
of the house; only a bed, desk, and lamp occupied it. Dudley found a corner close to Sirius  
and he plopped himself on it. He regretted this when his behind realized that this wasn't  
the type of mattress you could sink into; it was just a little too firm. Dudley dropped his  
suitcase on the floor and faced Harry's godfather.  
  
"So," Sirius started when he saw Dudley was relatively settled, "What did James  
and Lily tell you about you're staying with me?"   
  
"Well, they said it had to do with eyes," Dudley said slowly, glad to see Sirius  
nodding. Sirius' dark eyes hung onto Dudley's, very interested in the answer. Dudley  
wasn't accustomed to this undivided attention, but he decided he liked it and continued,  
feeling stronger and braver with no Harry to interrupt. "I have blue eyes like Dumbledore,  
so you're gonna teach me how to be a wizard, even..." He stopped, not wanting to express  
any concern about his obvious lack of magical ability. He let the sentence dangle and went  
on, "Um, and Aunt Lily said stuff about V-Voldemort wanting her because of her eyes and  
that since Voldemort was defeated by Dumbledore who had different eyes, that he then  
wanted me..."  
  
Sirius nodded again and sighed. "Well, we thought that we should teach you some  
things, then. If Voldemort wants you-wanted you, I mean,-then you should learn some  
things."   
  
He sighed. "The Squib last time, that last time I mentioned in my letter?" Dudley  
nodded, remembering the mention of some Squib who was not taught. "Well, that wizard  
became the greatest Auror we had; Frank Longbottom. No one had thought much about  
his life before he became an Auror. Yes, he was a great wizard, powerful and smart. But  
he never was properly trained. His early education was neglected because he just didn't  
show the proper signals that he was to be a wizard. So, he was labeled a Squib. Well,  
before he married, he had landed a job as an Auror, to protect against Voldemort's rise to  
power. He had the bravery, raw skill. But this "rawness" was an advantage for  
Voldemort."   
  
Sirius stared at the ceiling, while Dudley's eyes remained glued to the floor as he  
listened to the story. "Frank never could completely control his power; his emotions often  
got in the way." Sirius pressed his lips together, caging the sentences. "Voldemort...he  
killed the future Mrs. Longbottom, knowing the effect this would have on Frank. Remus  
really tried to reason with him, followed him, trying to get him to not approach Voldemort  
now, at his peak." Sirius shook his head and sucked in tears, Dudley guessed, though he  
was unsuccessful with one of them as it trickled down his face. He saw Dudley had  
noticed this and wiped his eyes, fighting to smile. "I haven't-I haven't talked this out loud  
before, not really. I mean," His shiny eyes looked up into the light again, "Maybe  
discussed it, no details, to Lily and James, but...."  
  
Dudley, not knowing what else to do, scooted closer to Sirius and rested a hand on  
his shoulder. Dudley could tell Sirius wasn't the physical type, but everyone appreciated a  
little contact once in a while. Sirius nodded thankfully and his eyes were clearer. "Thank  
you. Um," he paused to think where he was and Dudley listened faithfully, hoping this was  
helping Sirius more than paining him.   
  
"Do you want to talk about it...later?" Dudley asked, hoping he didn't sound like  
he didn't want to listen. He really did. He'd never heard this story before and he had a  
feeling he knew why. Sirius had mentioned Remus, something that always brought shiny  
eyes and big inhaled breaths at the Potter's. Dudley understood that something horrible  
had happened, and it didn't seem fair to force Sirius into the telling within half an hour of  
Dudley's arrival. He no doubt brought memories of something.  
  
"T-thanks." Sirius smiled, geniunely this time and Dudley felt himself smile back.  
  
"I'll take that sandwich now," Dudley said, at first for conversation sake, then he  
realized he really was hungry, too nervous to think about it before.  
  
"Sure," Sirius replied and they left the barren room in search of food. Dudley  
vaguely wondered if he would be able to eat as much as he wanted, unlike at home. The  
Potter's weren't the biggest eaters, and Dudley often found himself feeling a little greedy  
for wanting more.   
  
Sirius opened the fridge to reveal a wide selection of snacks, lunches, and dinners.  
His smile was contagious, and for the first time, Dudley felt like he wasn't out of the circle,  
but right in the middle of it. "Eat all you want. I can always get more."  
  
Dudley kept smiling even as he chewed through his second sandwich. He suddenly  
wasn't worrying about his magical ability, or lack of. Sirius had returned to his normal  
jacund self, telling Dudley of some inside, secret exploits of Uncle James, Remus, Peter,  
and himself in their Hogwarts days. The hilarious anecdotes washed over Dudley like a  
warm bath, and he laughed, a big belly laugh that he had never before let loose fully. For  
once, he wasn't intruding on some one else's life, but enjoying the wizarding life and  
stories as if they would soon be his own.   
  
Sirius smiled as Dudley watched an idea form behind the dark eyes. "Would you  
like to visit Hogwarts and Harry?"   
  
Dudley felt his own eyes light up, feeling slightly rebellious when he nodded  
eagerly. He knew it was pretty stupid to feel brave about visiting a school, but considering  
he wasn't to attend, it would no doubt be an adventure with Sirius.  
  
Sirius laughed. "Go get your wand. We'll have some fun."  
  
Dudley believed him and scampered to find the wand, the gift of the owl. 


End file.
